Worth the Sacrifice

Lately I’ve been coming up with all sorts of ideas for ice cream, sherbert and sorbet flavours. The problem that I have is actually getting the ingredients into the ice cream without eating them first. This most recent sorbet that I made is a perfect example of that. It was made with freshly picked strawberries, a perfectly ripe mango and chunk of ginger. Now when I’ve got a pint of fresh strawberries sitting in front of me I just want to eat them. Maybe add a little whipped cream on top, maybe dip them in chocolate, but if push comes to shove they’re good all on their own. As for the mango, it’s impossible to get a truly freshly one here as they’re clearly not a cold climate fruit. That means I have to buy a semi-ripe mango and let it sit on my counter for what seems like an eternity before I can taste its succulent interior. Every day I walk past that mango, pick it up, turn it over in my hands and bring it up to my nose in the hopes that there will be a sweetness emanating from it that tells me it’s ready to cut open. When that day finally arrives I want nothing more than to suck the flesh from the pit of the mango while standing over the kitchen sink with mango juice dripping down my arms. This weakness of mine makes it awfully difficult to turn fresh strawberries and a ripe mango into a sorbet, no matter how delicious it may be. But I assure you, this sorbet was worth sacrificing my strawberries and mango for, especially with ginger adding its special zing to the concoction.

It’s only an event like Hay Hay it’s Donna Day that can convince me to surrender one of my precious mangoes. Laura of Eat Drink Live is hosting lucky number 13 of HHDD, which was created by Barbara of Winos and Foodies back in 2005. Since I’ve been so keen lately on making full use of the Ice-Man I’m looking forward to seeing the other sorbets that are produced for this event. And I’ve got tons of other flavour ideas floating around too so I’m sure this is only the beginning of my sorbet making adventures.

Sacrificial Strawberry-Mango-Ginger Sorbet

3 cups of strawberries, washed and hulled

1 large juicy mango, peeled and chopped

¾ cup water

¾ sugar

1 inch of ginger, sliced thinly

Crystallized ginger, optional for garnish

Combine the ginger, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the sliced ginger out of the mixture. Combine the strawberries, mango and ginger syrup in your 3 horsepower K-Tec Blender. If you’re not using a blender as cool as mine, don’t feel bad, you may have to strain your mixture afterwards though. I didn’t have to, mine was smooth as silk. Let your mixture cool completely in the fridge and then pour into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturers directions. A sprinkling of chopped crystallized ginger is a nice touch.

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Sorbet + Mango + Strawberry + HHDD + Donna Hay